Quiet Mid-Range PC

M

miserlyboa

Member
Hello,

I'm looking for a quiet (ideally near-silent) computer which will be used mostly for editing, some casual gaming, and just general office use. My budget is around £800 but I can be a little flexible. Ideally lower of course! I have a basic BenQ 24 in, 5 ms, 60 Hz monitor and would prefer not to upgrade it unless important for the GPU.

Ideally it can last 3/4 years, so I'd be open to upgrading parts in the future if possible. The quietness is fairly important to me as my current PC (a Dell i7 Inspiron from 2014) is noisy. I was looking at quiet cases by Corsair and Coolermaster but I read some poor reviews regarding their overheating.

I don't really keep up with hardware developments so if you can spot anything I've done wrong or any changes you'd recommend I'd really appreciate it! Thank you

Case
NZXT H511 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V2 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £815.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/8BBZHwrbVa/
 
M

miserlyboa

Member
Morning. So usually Adobe suite programs, like Premiere and Photoshop, but I'm not a professional and don't do anything incredibly intensive with them. I edit long videos but render times aren't really a problem.

I guess I'm most interested if there are any parts that I can justify spending more on if it would be worth it for performance or longevity
 
F

fullofpenguions

Bronze Level Poster
Thanks. I've put a suggestion below for £813. There are some compromises to get it to budget (3200 RAM would be better for example), but it should provide you with a decent base for a good few years. There are bargains to be had with peripherals (I got a gaming keyboard and decent wireless mouse secondhand from ebay for about £12).

Case - Focus G - it's quiet with decent airflow (I've got this case and it's very quiet)
Motherboard - I've upgraded the motherboard as the B550-Plus should allow for future upgrades if you need them.
Storage: It's probably best to have a HDD for storage and a smaller M2 for your operating system and programs you are using regularly. A HDD gives you a bit of warning if it's on its way out which will help you salvage stuff - when an M2 goes - it just goes!).
Cooler: The stock cooler on the 3600x is good so you don't need an additional one (i've got the 3600x and the stock cooler does a great job).

If you could push a little more and get a 750w power supply you'd be even better placed for future upgrades and you'd probably then just need to replace the gpu and monitor rather than the whole thing. (depending what future you upgraded to - you might need extra cooling then though)

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £813.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/m7nkjSvR!0/
 
M

miserlyboa

Member
Thank you Lee, really helpful. My main aversion to getting a HDD was the noise it might generate so I'll probably go with what you say but use an SSD as a secondary drive. I use cloud backups so should be OK for important stuff at any rate. Cheers
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
If you want properly quiet you're going to have to pay for it unfortunately. The case is very important to the silence aspect, which the Define is the go-to with.

The XT processor comes with a fantastic cooler and also gives you a performance bump so well worth it IMO.

RAM as suggested. The only area I would strongly consider a revisit would be the PSU. If gaming is going to be a future upgrade then the newer cards are looking at 650W+ PSUs. A 750W option would have you covered for all avenues going forward.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT Six Core CPU (4.5GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £954.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/BP426VS83B/
 
M

miserlyboa

Member
Scott said:
If you want properly quiet you're going to have to pay for it unfortunately. The case is very important to the silence aspect, which the Define is the go-to with.

The XT processor comes with a fantastic cooler and also gives you a performance bump so well worth it IMO.

RAM as suggested. The only area I would strongly consider a revisit would be the PSU. If gaming is going to be a future upgrade then the newer cards are looking at 650W+ PSUs. A 750W option would have you covered for all avenues going forward.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT Six Core CPU (4.5GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £954.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/BP426VS83B/
Click to expand...

That's interesting, thanks for your advice Scott. Bit more than I would have liked to spend but something I could justify. I do like the look of the NZXT H511 case in white & with the window but the Fractal one may be worth it for the quietness, but I haven't got a sense of how much difference to the noise/heating it would make.
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
miserlyboa said:
That's interesting, thanks for your advice Scott. Bit more than I would have liked to spend but something I could justify. I do like the look of the NZXT H511 case in white & with the window but the Fractal one may be worth it for the quietness, but I haven't got a sense of how much difference to the noise/heating it would make.
Click to expand...

NZXT is an OK case for cooling and an OK case for noise. I wouldn't have it personally as I don't think it's great at any particular aspect. It's a decent looking case though and I understand the draw with the aesthetic.

The Define 7 is fantastic for airflow and absolutely mind boggling for silence. I genuinely don't know how it does it. There is some compromise with the temperature, as you would expect for something so quiet, but it still holds its own against the top end manufacturers for non-quiet cases.

I have the Define 6, my temps are unreal to be honest.... so low. And you would barely know the thing was running until I max out the fans during a heavy gaming session.
 
AgentCooper

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
miserlyboa said:
That's interesting, thanks for your advice Scott. Bit more than I would have liked to spend but something I could justify. I do like the look of the NZXT H511 case in white & with the window but the Fractal one may be worth it for the quietness, but I haven't got a sense of how much difference to the noise/heating it would make.
Click to expand...

The NZXT isn’t particularly good for airflow, a site user recently reviewed his and said he kind of regretted getting that one. As @Scott says above, it’s all about the design with the Fractal, as long as you’re not keeping it in a sealed box it’s a cracking case.
 
M

miserlyboa

Member
That's really good to know, thank you @Scott and @AgentCooper.

Is it a bad idea to get a 1 TB M2 drive (I was going to go for the Intel not PCS one to be faster) as my main storage device? Is there some reason for you switching to a HDD in your suggestion, @Scott?

I didn't actually know M2 drives existed until this weekend if I'm honest! @LeeMoore86 had mentioned the risk of failure.
 
AgentCooper

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
miserlyboa said:
That's really good to know, thank you @Scott and @AgentCooper.

Is it a bad idea to get a 1 TB M2 drive (I was going to go for the Intel not PCS one to be faster) as my main storage device? Is there some reason for you switching to a HDD in your suggestion, @Scott?

I didn't actually know M2 drives existed until this weekend if I'm honest! @LeeMoore86 had mentioned the risk of failure.
Click to expand...

It’s going to depend what you’re storing, videos, music and photos won’t have any real benefit from being on an SSD of any kind. I’ve got a combo, I have two M.2 drives, one for my OS, one for games, and a HDD for music and documents.

We advise to not go for the Intel M.2’s as they’ve been know to have random failure issues. Most of the users on here have the PCS ones and I’ve never heard a bad word said about them 🙂👍
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
AgentCooper said:
It’s going to depend what you’re storing, videos, music and photos won’t have any real benefit from being on an SSD of any kind. I’ve got a combo, I have two M.2 drives, one for my OS, one for games, and a HDD for music and documents.

We advise to not go for the Intel M.2’s as they’ve been know to have random failure issues. Most of the users on here have the PCS ones and I’ve never heard a bad word said about them 🙂👍
Click to expand...

The Intel issue isn't so much failures, it's the limited write capacity that they have. Every SSD drive has a pre-determined "maximum writes" capacity. The Intel ones are around half what other competing brands have.
 
AgentCooper

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
Scott said:
The Intel issue isn't so much failures, it's the limited write capacity that they have. Every SSD drive has a pre-determined "maximum writes" capacity. The Intel ones are around half what other competing brands have.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the correction, duly noted 👍
 
M

miserlyboa

Member
Thanks all for your help and suggestions. I've gone for pretty much what was suggested (& will add a HDD or SSD to it myself as I have them already in newish condition). Looking forward to getting my hands on it!

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT Six Core CPU (4.5GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £965.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/xw4kpTYA5u/
 
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